


Down In the Deep

by TasteTheRainbow_BeTheRainbow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura and Shiro are Lance's parents, Allura is a siren but doesn't act like one, Galra!Keith, Hybrid!Keith, Hybrid!Lance, Keith is a mermaid galra hybrid, Lance is a mermaid siren hybrid, Lance is really gay, Lance loves shiny things, M/M, Mermaids, Pidge and Hunk are mermaids, Shiro is a mermaid, Siren!Lance, Sirens, Sirens and mermaids coexist, Slow Burn, Universe with galra, Universe with mermaids, Universe with sirens, galra - Freeform, idk about nasty, lots of fluff, mermaid au, mermaid!Keith, mermaid!lance, sirens mermaids galra, slow burn??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2018-10-28 13:20:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10832094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TasteTheRainbow_BeTheRainbow/pseuds/TasteTheRainbow_BeTheRainbow
Summary: Lance is the prince to Allura and Shiro. In this universe there are Galra, Mermaids, and Sirens. Humans are mentioned but I don't think there will be any human characters. Lots of gayness. Lance goes off adventuring and sees a hot Galra boy, but he isn't totally Galra. Lance doesn't know that he is gay. But oh boy does he find out.





	1. Prince vs Gully

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how long this will be but I have much much much more planned. Read and I hope you enjoy! There may be errors and there probably certainly are but I love this AU and had to get it down. There's now the visuals for Keith's and Lance's tails!!!

 

Three types of mer-creatures exist in the oceans. Sirens, Mermaids, and the Galra. Each are similar but also very different.

 

Sirens are supposed to be seductive, able to lure humans into the water and off of ships in order to protect themselves. They are hunters, deeming their sharp claws useful, and very powerful swimmers. They have a single fin at the bottom of their tail and it has pointed ends, used to slice through the water with incredible speed. The majority of sirens can sing to other creatures to gain their trust to either kill them or drive them away. Many sirens are somewhat aggressive and all are very protective of their family or other animals they deem to like. While some hunt humans, it’s not a common practice and is generally frown upon. They are beautiful and invoking. But as beautiful as they are, almost all sirens are incapable of love. The feat is extremely rare and many who can are killed for the confliction. Sirens produce offspring simply to live on and while they can hold affection, love is a very different thing.

 

Mermaids are the much kinder cousins of sirens. They are more dainty, but not to be underestimated. They do not have the singing ability that sirens do but are very very beautiful and many consider this to be an equally powerful feature. Their tails are usually longer than their siren counterparts and they are known to have extra fins along their back and tail, or on the sides. They have finned ears for better hearing and sometimes spend their days simply listening to the ocean around them. Mermaids usually get along with humans quite well and some are very involved in making sure the humans are safe. They are not as fast as sirens but as they love shiny things and wear them religiously, they are very distracting and can cause others to slow down in order to watch their beauty. Mermaids are their own brand of friend and a formidable foe.

 

Galra are the most contrasting out of the three mer-species. They have the same upper body of a human as the others but their eyes are a solid yellow and glow in the depths. Their tails are also bioluminescent, as they are known to only live in the very dark parts of the ocean. They have very sharp teeth and are typically more aggressive than sirens. The strangest part, however, is that they do not have finned tails. Galra exclusively have other sea creatures as their tails. Many have squid or octopi bottom, with the more uncommon ones being shark, sea horses, or jellyfish. Each have the characteristics of their tail, being able to ink others, always having to move like a shark, or being able to sting a foe. Galras are rarely ever seen and never speak to Sirens or Mermaids.

 

Or so everyone thought.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

Lance shot out into the colorful reef, his tail curling and twisting to avoid the sharp pieces of plants that would otherwise rip his thin limb to shreds.

 

"Be back by the time the jellyfish start to glow," A voice floats to him and he recognizes it as Allura's, his mother’s. He waves his hand dismissively, knowing that she can see it. He reaches the edge and dives down into the gully, laughing with glee.

 

He's free for the day! It's rare, really and truly. He always has to do things. There's a boat here, a person stranded there. Territory, so much crap. Sirens hunt and do so much, mermaids create and are founcy. But there’s no time for him as a kid, or as a teenager. Lance swims lazily through the water.

 

Lance sighs, letting out a calling chirp to Pidge, hoping they are around. He flicks his tail and glances down at it, a constant reminder of what he is. A siren and a mermaid.

 

Sirens and mermaids have been coming together as couples for a long time. It is not exceedingly common, not at all, but it is not unheard of. Sirens noticed that the longer they were around mermaids, the more affection they began to be able to feel for others. If they return to sirens however, the feeling was gone. A lucky few could truly fall in love, and they all were with mermaids. So sirens and mermaids made colonies of both species, hoping to encourage the idea to be more widely accepted. The majority of the two groups were overjoyed and welcome the idea, but there are outcasts everywhere who can’t bring themselves to realize that this is progress. Nevertheless, there are many colonies where the two species cohabitat and are very happy.

 

But, even though couples are not uncommon, offspring are far and few. Many couples of siren and mermaid are unable to produce children and out of the recorded cases of children being born, they were always entirely mermaid or entirely siren. Physically of course, the personalities of anyone can range drastically.

 

Lance is different though. He’s sure that he isn’t the only one but Allura and Shiro, his parents, are doubtful. Lance is an almost perfect combination of a siren and a mermaid. His whole body is long and lanky, like a siren’s, and his tail is at a pointed end. He can also sing, quite beautifully, albeit the power not being quite as strong as a full siren’s. But he has webbed hands and ears like a mermaid and the undeniable love for everything shiny or fancy. He also has many tail fins, one running along the back of his tail, one set near his hips and another set near the bottom of his tail. He is kind and generous, but has the capability of a snappy attitude; along with being extremely flirty.

 

Dismissing this anomaly, Lance chirps for Pidge once more and they finally answer. Attitude is filled in their response, sending a clear message of “I’m on my way, hold your seahorses.” He laughs and flicks his ears in various directions, searching for where they are coming from. Finally, he senses the movement of their tail in the water and swims to close the distance. He slams into them, full force, and they let out an irritated cry, shoving Lance and scrambling to wiggle away. They slap their tail at Lance and he lifts his arm, deflecting their attacks.

 

Pidge swims a foot or so away, sticking their tongue out at the now pouting Lance. “Ah come on, you know I don’t like when you crash into me. I don’t have the same speed as you,” They grumble, slapping Lance’s comforting hand away.

 

“Oh really? Is lil Pidge too small to stand up to big bad ole me?” He taunts, swimming neat circles around the smaller merperson. Pidge snorts, insinuating that they do not believe Lance and swims a few feet ahead.

 

“Well, what did you call me over here for?” They ask, glancing back at Lance.

 

He catches up easily and takes a sharp turn, heading towards a deep gouge in the earth that he found earlier. Around it, there were loads of flowers, types of coral, and different kinds of small fish. He knew that Pidge loved that sort of thing so he thought that they would enjoy exploring. Lance waves his hand to beckon them and shoots off, cutting through the thick water. His gills grow active as they dive deeper, catching up his lungs so he can breathe easily.

 

“What do you even wanna look at?” Pidge asks, inspecting a light blue flower that sets off a soft glow. It seems to cower at their touch and the petals slowly begin to close. The small mermaid notes this and their eyes flicker to the small flower beside it. They approach it cautiously, because it seems to be mimicking the small blue flower. Pidge touches it gently and instead of it closing further, it already was closed, it burst open and reveals brilliant bright red petals. They shimmer and shine in the little bit of light that still is able to reach this far down into the ocean.

 

Pidge reels backwards, shocked at the sudden motion. They fall backwards into Lance and Lance lets out a noise of shock, tumbling through the water until he is floating above the gouge. “Glad I'm not a human, eh?” He says, nudging Pidge with his elbow.

 

“Yeah, well I still don't like it,” They grumble, flipping their tail and swimming to the edge where it's safer. Lance laughs and sticks his tongue out at Pidge, glancing down below him. Deep down he can still see flickers of light bouncing off of rocks and shiny things. They catch his eye and a happy smile grows on his face.

 

“Pidge, let's go down there,” Lance yells in a sing song voice. He cups his hand around his mouth and bobs forward and backward, excitement filling him. “There's lots of nice things! They're shinnnyyy,” He tries to entice them but Pidge flips their hand at him.

 

“Oh come on, you know I'm not into that stuff”

 

“But you're into me” Lance winks

 

Pidge looks at him, trying to be angry, but only laughs. “Yeah no. Siren charm doesn't work on me.”

 

“Ah ah, but I bet I could work on you” He makes a last humorous attempt and Pidge snorts, pointing down the the gully.

 

“Hush it mixed breed. Go to your shiny stuff in the scary crack in the earth. I'm heading back to the castle. I'll be your parent”s new kid” Pidge calls, already starting to swim away.

 

Lance rolls his eyes, looking down below him. Pidge is the only person allowed to call him mixed breed. A few kids used to tease him when he was young because of his mix matched set of fins and characteristics, and it hurt his feelings because there was no one else like him. They were completely right, he had no one else to vouch for him, he was just a little boy frustrated by himself. But Pidge came along in his third year of school and they started to use it as a joke to cheer him up, saying that sandwiches and other things with two components were “mixed”. He loved them for it and they've been best friends since then, even if they want to beat Lance up sometimes.

 

Something large glints in the light and Lance darts down to it, twisting between rocks and plants, stretching his fins out to use the micro currents in the water to push him in the right direction. He moves faster and faster, his eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness of the gully. He gets closer to it and notices it is a large clam flashing a massive pearl. His ears flicker, surveilling the water around him. It’s odd, clams don’t usually fare well this deep into the ocean, much less produce such large pearls.

 

He swims around the massive creature, marveling that even the pearl is probably the size of his hand. Distracted by it, he fawns over the masterpiece and the shininess of it. Lifting his head and looking around he notices another glimmer from behind a rock. He swims over and picks up what seems to be a human utensil. It is similar to their own but is made of metal and scooped at the end, like to pick something up with it.

 

Suddenly, his ears detect movement and he crouches down behind the rock, curling his tail close to his body. His ears flick rapidly, trying to find the source and it seems to be directly ahead. Lance growls faintly, his teeth sharpening in the slightest, the siren aggression showing out. He squints in the darkness and sees a glow slowly growing stronger. He’s taken aback and stifles a sound of shock.

 

Slowly but surely, a figure appears in front of him. He’s smaller than Lance by a few inches, and very very pale. He has black hair that seems to form a...mullet. Of course. Lance shakes his head, amused by this weirdo’s choice in haircuts. The mullet boy swims forward, relaxed and lazily, but suddenly stops. He whips around and faces perfectly in Lance’s direction. Lance knows he cannot see him, he is shaded by darkness, but what shocks him is that the smaller merperson has...yellow eyes.

 

Lance heard stories of the Galra but he knows for a fact that they do not have normal tails. They are of other animals. Yet hear this person is, flaunting off a truly stunning tail. Lance flushes, taking a mental picture. His tail is a bright orange with tinges of other shades. But on it there are splotches of darker markings. They glow brighter than the rest of his tail and brings attention to his additional adornments, all soft and rounded like his bottom fin.

 

Oddly like a mermaid’s tail Lance things, extra fins and all rounded. He shakes himself out of it and finds his face still growing ever hotter. Forget the boy’s tail, the boy’s face was more stunning. Lance briefly thinks of singing to him and he starts to hum. But he notices the other person’s face growing softer with the sound of the music and snaps out of it.

 

Mullet boy, Lance dubs him, stares suspiciously at the rock as if he knew what was going on but chooses to say nothing. Lance continues to watch him while he turns around and goes to the giant clam and it’s pearl. Mullet boy runs his hand along the top and smiles fondly. Lance mindlessly checks off that he probably cares for the clam because he obviously has an emotional connection to it.

 

He watches for a while more and is relieved when Mullet boy goes to leave. His tail was beginning to cramp up and he uncurls it slowly, waiting for the other boy to turn around. As soon as he does Lance turns and shoots of into the other direction, out of the gully and out of sight.

 

Lance thinks he got away unseen, clear and clean from the piercing gaze of Mullet boy.

 

He was wrong.


	2. Mystery Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance goes to Coran to talk about the boy that he saw in the gully but didn't get any answers. He tries to talk to his friends, but they don't serve much help either. In the end though, he may have learned more about the boy after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this is kinda boring but it needed to be done to continue with the storyline.
> 
> There is also a drawing I made of the basis of each species and their attributes

 

 

 

Lance was grinning broadly, his tail flipping through the water. His fins make micro adjustments to help him swim faster and he dives up and down, determined to enjoy his last few vargas before he has to head back to the castle.

 

_ Coran!  _ Lance thinks, the orange tailed merman popping into his head. He lives in the outskirts of the siren-mermaid community. Unlike others, he doesn't live outside of it because he does not agree, but rather because he wants to help sirens adjust before diving into a city with hundreds and hundreds of mermaids.

 

He’s also one of Lance’s closest friend. He has a bright orange tail with a mustache and hair to match.  _ He's so proud of that mustache _ Lance thinks, snorting. Though he has to admit, Coran keeps impeccable care of it. Lance approaches the modest hut and swims from window to window, looking for his friend.

 

He can't see him at first so he goes to the door, knocking quietly. Coran takes a lot of naps and gets awfully grumpy if someone interrupts him. The prince waits for a minute or two before the or finally opens, a sleepy Coran looking outside.

 

“Prince Lance! How wonderful it is to see you! I'm very glad you came to visit you see I was just taking a-”

 

“Nap?” Lance interjects, eyebrows arched, but he’s laughing. Coran face flushes orange and he waves his hand before opening the door all the way to let Lance in.

 

“Ah, well, Lance you know me so well! I was in fact taking a nap. But now you're here! What would you like to talk about?” Coran knows him well, Lance always shows up to visit but in the middle of the day? Always for gossip.

 

Lance grins at Coran, swimming past him to sit in one of his chairs. It's barnacle encrusted but has been sealed and painted, making it purposeful. He runs his fingers over it, watching Coran come over too.

 

He takes a deep breath and rushes it all out at once. “TheresthisboythatisawinagullyandCoranhewasjustsobeautiful” He finishes with a blue face and Coran is watching him carefully.

 

After a second a smile spreads on his face. “Lance! You know I love you! But I have no idea what you just said,” He admits it sheepishly but good natured as the mermaid always is. He has many friends and it's unlikely that anyone dislikes him.

 

Lance snorts, shaking his head. He was expecting a speech from Coran about what he’s been told about going different places; or something on watching strangers but instead Coran didn't even hear him.

 

“I was swimming near a gully with Pidge. They were looking at plants and stuff, and I eventually went down into a gully. Pidge didn’t want to come with me so they headed back to the castle. I went down and Coran there was  a huge shell! Like the biggest clam I’ve ever seen. It could have eaten me, and the pearl! It was bigger than my hand. Someone had to be taking care of it, I thought, because usually clams don’t do so well that far in the deep. Right? And then someone came! I didn’t think much of it. But Coran he was glowing.”

 

The orange haired merman’s eyes go dark. He opens his mouth and raises his finger to shush the prince. But Lance interjects “No, no Coran. It wasn’t a Galra...he had...a tail. Like a normal tail! And his glow wasn’t as bright as the other Galra.” Lance faces turns blue and he sheepishly rubs the back of his head. “Coran he was so pretty.” He coughs “Well, ya know, I mean his tail. It was orange and red and it glowed softly. There were little patches of darker orange and his fins were rounded...They were actually like a mermaid’s. He had an extra set too. But his eyes were yellow, and he had pointed ears.”

 

Lance puts his head in his hand and huffs out a breath, his gills fluttering. “Though his face wasn’t half bad either…”, the picture of the boy’s face appears in the prince’s mind and he shakes it out, disregarding the thoughts.

 

“Anyway!! What do you think it could be, Coran?” Lance is eager, leaning forward excitedly. For once, the bubbly attitude that Coran always seems to hold in his face is gone, and he seems to be restricting himself. He waves off Lance and flushes orange.

 

“Oh you know, it could be nothing. It’s probably nothing. You could have just been creating a glow or something Lance, we know you’re very imaginative” He nods as if he’s more satisfied with his response than Lance’s reaction. The prince puts his head into his hand, squishing his face up.

 

He releases a disgruntled chirp, disappointed in his answer. “But Coran, I swear I saw something!”

 

“You may very well have, Prince Lance, but that doesn’t mean what you saw is what it really is.” After a moment, the merman’s happy arua is back and swims towards the door. “Well, come on Lance, the jellyfish will be out soon and you should probably get back to the castle. I have to talk to your mother anyway, we could head over together”

 

Lance reluctantly raises from his chair and nods, flicking his fins and heading out the door with Coran hot on his tail. They swim back to the castle that is illuminating the dark water, Lance continuously looking behind him.

 

_ I know he was real _ , he thinks, shooting forward in front of Coran to climb the castle.  _ And I’m going to find him. _

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

It is a few vargas later and Lance is sitting in his room. He has a map of the known territories laid out on the bed in front of him, scribbling on it intently. Pidge stayed for dinner and is sitting with him too, but they are studying the pair of flowers from earlier. They had swam back and dug them up, transferring the live plants to pots.

 

Now, they are trying an experiment. Switching from touching one, then the other, and moving them around. Lance doesn’t really know what they’re doing so he doesn’t ask, just keeps marking possible homes of the mysterious merman that he saw.

 

A knock sounds on the prince’s door a split second before it opens and Lance raises his head to acknowledge Hunk. He had called for the young man earlier and is glad he came.

 

“Hunk!” He exclaims, waving his hand excitedly to the yellow mermaid. “I have so much to tell you, and I think Pidge does too!”

 

Hunk nods, beaming at his two friends. Hunk had been made head chief for castle when he was 13 and while he loved his job and the positive attention that deemed him a ‘prodigy’ he wishes he had more time to spend with Lance and Pidge. Lance was the only reason he had his job, after all.

 

The merman was extremely talented with cooking and his whole family knew this. They tried different things to get him out there and show people that he had an amazing talent but they just couldn’t go far, they didn’t have the resources. Until Lance, that is.

 

The young prince had been visiting the village every day for years, always dressed oddly to limit the attention given to him. It didn’t help much because of course everyone was aware that he was the prince, he was the only heir to the throne. But many realized that he obviously wanted to just be able to have a small period of time to himself and so they left him alone.

 

Lance befriended Hunk quickly, even if Hunk wanted to bash his skull in sometimes.  _ In Hunk’s defense, Lance was very cocky for his age and full of himself. Now he was more mellow and reserved, it was just part of growing up. _

 

One day though, Lance had forgotten to eat breakfast and asked Hunk if he could have lunch with him. He had agreed and the moment Lance tasted his food, he was in love. In the course of just a few weeks he had convinced his mother to make Hunk head chief, despite his age, and he’s been there ever since.

 

It’s been nearly five years since then and Hunk doesn’t regret anything. On weekends he goes to his family and another chief steps up for those two days. His family is a lot better off, but they are overjoyed whenever he returns.

 

The large mermaid shakes himself out of his head and listens to his two closest friends, nodding along. They are telling two different stories and he can barely keep track. But so far, Lance has apparently found a hot merboy. But...not a merboy because he has some Galra qualities.

 

“Wait. Galra qualities?” Hunk shoots up, questioning. He loves his friend and sexualities be damned, lance can love whoever but not a Galra. They are evil beings of the deep sea and none have any regard to other life.

 

He recites as such to Lance and the prince scoffs at him, flipping his hand. “That’s the thing Hunk. He does!! The only Galra things he has is yellow eyes, and his ears are awfully similar. His tail glows too, but it’s nowhere near as strong as other Galra’s. But not just that Hunk, he takes care of this clam. This massive, huge clam! And he doesn’t just keep it alive, there is a pearl inside and believe it, it’s the biggest one I have ever seen.”

 

Hunk doesn’t quite believe him and rolls his eyes, “Well how do you know he takes care of it, and not someone else”

 

“Because he touched it Hunk! He ran his hands along it, like he’s been taking care of it for a long time. I know he isn’t evil. Even if he has absolutely horrible taste in haircuts.” A small smiles plays on Lance’s lips, the image of the mystery boy popping into his once more.

  
Still unconvinced, the merman turns to Pidge for verification of Lance’s story. “I have nothing,” they admit, “I went back to the castle the second he headed down into that huge crack in the earth. But I found some really neat flowers!” They push the two pots to Hunk. Lance opens his mouth to change the topic back to the Galra boy, but he wants to know about the plants too. Pidge has been making excited and intrigued sounds since they got back to his room.

 

“Okay Hunk. They are really close together. The blue flower is open and the red is closed. Before, when I touched the blue, it closed. When I touched the red, which was closed, it burst open. Touch the blue. Then the red” Pidge directs Hunk and he follows, touching one, then the other. It did just as they said it had before. This time, the red flower puffed out a small cloud of unknown substance. Hunk reflexively flipped his tail so he was away from the cloud.

 

Pidge calls him back and he does, albeit reluctantly. “See? The red flower moves in defense, and at first I thought it was just triggered by touch, because I did touch the red flower, right?” The yellow merman nods, interested. “So now, the red one is open and the blue one is closed. They are still close to each other. Watch...this”

 

With a swift movement, Pidge touches the red flower and it slams closed. They lift their hands back and nod the closed blue one, which flies open and shoots the same cloud that the red one had. “It’s a defense mechanism! But not just that. They’re connected. If one is in danger, the other shoots out a cloud. It doesn’t matter who is open or closed because they do the same thing. Protect each other.”

  
They smile fondly at the flowers and Lance can’t help but to think of the small red flower as Mullet boy and him as the blue. He shakes his head, noting it as it’s just because the colors are the same. He notices that Pidge and Hunk are talking again and he brings his attention back to them.

 

“That’s cool in itself but there is one more thing. They have a sort of...alarm? I don’t really know how to describe it. When they are close to each other, they just defend each other. But…” They reach their arms out and slowly push the two pots away from the other. Pidge moves them inch by inch, practically trembling with anticipation.

 

Once they are about five feet away from each other, the flowers begin to glow. They let off an extremely bright light that strobes between blue and red. Moments later, they begin to aggressively open and close. The blue one shoots off clouds as the red closes and the red releases them as the blue closes. They do this for two minutes while the merpeople watch, baffled.

 

Satisfied, Pidge moves them close together once more and they stop instantly, as if content. The small green merperson is grinning broadly, so proud with their discovery.

 

“It’s like they are alive and honestly I wouldn’t doubt it at this point. They are so receptive to each other and it almost seems like it physically hurts them to be apart,” Pidge’s voice fades into the background as Lance zones out, only hearing the occasional murmur of his two friends.

 

Lance finishes up the night and wishes Hunk and Pidge a farewell, smiling to himself. He gives them both tight hugs and they notice his sudden affection but decide together to not mention it.

  
The prince lays down on his bed, his fins and tails flicking as he settles into the marshy algae of his bed. The soft glow of the jellyfish illuminate his room and Lance drifts into sleep with the image of the mystery hybrid boy in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU LIKE? I LIKE? Comment, kudos, give advice.
> 
> THANKS


	3. The Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith thinks about his past before growing frustrated with memories and setting himself on the path to finding out about his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE GET TO HEAR FROM KEITH BB. I hurt myself writing this because the poor soul is just hurt. :(

Mullet boy’s name was Keith.

 

Keith darts around frantically, his tail struggling to keep up with swimming through the currents. Mermaids are fast, yes, but Galra certainly are not known to be fast. They are brutes that rely on pure muscle and strength. Keith prides himself in the knowledge that he is strong, yes, but not nearly as much. He’s a perfect medium between his two species and he hates it. He can’t blend in with the Galra, nor can he blend in with mermaids or sirens.

 

The merman had been forced into a life of solitude, barely supporting himself and anything else he deems something that he wants to protect. He was only a child when he was tossed into the gully. Keith sunk like a stone because his tail was not strong enough to swim that high upwards. Since he has gotten that strong, but he hates his life here.

 

Keith knows who his father is, knows very well who he is, but he can’t do anything about it. His tail glows and he has the vicious attributes of a Galra but he isn’t one. He refuses to be a brute like them, he has no need to create destruction in the way that they do. The young merman busies himself every day with training his tail and arms, and hunting for food. Every time he hunts, he’s reminded of what he is.

 

Eyes glowing in the dark, tail flickering and flashing, his claws a swift movement in the water and returning with food within them. His eyes narrow and their normal purple is overridden by the horrid yellow that always returns in strength with his emotions. Keith hates who he is. He just wanted a normal life and as a small child he dreamed of a siren couple on the way to the mermaid/siren civilization finding him and taking him in. Bitterly, Keith remembers that it almost did; until they saw who he was. 

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

He was about six years old when it happened. Keith had scented them long before they were getting close to him and he cleaned himself up, shaking off any seaweed or other plants that clung to him. As they got closer and closer, he got more excited. Tremors ran through his body because this was the day, this was the day he got out of here and began a normal life. 

 

But as the energy began to rush through him, the Galra part of him awoke. The young boy didn’t notice, how could he have noticed, and was simply excited. But when the couple arrived, they fled. They were swimming over the gully when he called out to him and they looked down, intrigued by small voice calling to them, obviously a young child’s.

 

Keith grew more nervous as they swam down to them and his attributes only became more apparent. They finally reached him and they cried out, clinging to each other. While Keith saw a possible family, and the whole life he could have with them, they only saw a monster. A small, ragged child, yes, but he had large ears and yellow eyes and his skin was beginning to turn purple. His tail glowed even though it was like a mermaid’s and he sported sharp, sharp claws.

 

They said nothing, just turned and swam their way out of gorge as fast as they could. He tried to call out to them again but they didn’t turn around, didn’t even acknowledge him. It took the lost boy months to discover why they ran away. He couldn’t see himself, there was nothing reflective down there, until one day. A mirror slowly sunk down to him. He was shocked, and surprised, because anything shiny was usually snapped up by the mermaid’s the moment they saw it.

 

But it made it’s way down to him and lay gently in the sand, pointing in his direction. Keith had swam over excitedly at this new object in his makeshift home and he eagerly looked in. The poor boy was horrified by what he saw. He had tall ears and sharp teeth and claws. His eyes flashed against the surface of the mirror and he could see the glow it set off. The more upset he got, the more the terrifying parts of him grew. Soon, his eyes were solidly yellow, his claws were black and sharp and Keith’s tail could have lit the way to the surface. 

 

He had swam away and hid behind a rock for days, not daring to move. Because now he knew what he was. Keith had seen Galra swimming by the gully, on the opposite side of the Mermaids, and he knew they were terrifying. He tried to comfort himself with the knowledge that he wasn’t exactly like them, he had this and that, and it was different from them. But it only made things worse and Keith soon smashed the mirror.

 

Keith didn’t see himself for years, and years. Things began to regularly come down into the gully and the small boy didn’t question it, so his older self didn’t either. But when he was twelve years old when someone came along and saw him. 

 

The Galra hybrid was terrified and refused to move from behind the rock that had become his comfort in all times of stress. His fins twitched and his ears pushed forward, listening to the intruder in his gorge. 

 

He made an aggressive sound and listened for the sound of the intruder leaving, but it never came. He tried again, and still nothing. Eventually, he lifted his head over the rock and stared suspiciously at what he saw was now a mermaid, with a bright orange tail and a head of hair to match. He grinds his teeth experimentally, making an agitated sound.

 

But still, the merman doesn’t move. He continues to stare at the young boy, smiling softly. Keith was confused, he wasn’t leaving. They always left. He had big teeth and bright eyes and scary ears that revealed his fear. His tail glowed and Keith was sure that he was a horrifying sight to look at.

 

Yet, this man didn’t leave. He didn’t flinch, or swim away in fear. Keith came out and shot a nasty look at the persistent intruder, baring his teeth. He came really close to the merman but he still didn’t move. He eventually pulled back and crossed his arms, flicking his tail.

 

“What do you want, you’re in my home,” Keith’s voice was snappy

 

“Your home, my boy? Why, this isn’t a very nice home…” The merman’s voice is calm, and his eyes are kind.

 

“Well that’s not very nice either! It is too my home, and it is very nice” The young boy was afraid of this man’s kindness.

 

“Is not.”

 

“Is too!”

 

“I’ve heard of you in this gorge, but I didn’t believe it. Years ago, a siren couple came to me, an extraordinary case mind you, and said they saw this boy! I said, ‘A boy? Where?’ and they told me of you. They said you were a monster, ugly and distorted.” Keith flinched, rubbing his arm “And I dismissed them, because a boy in a gorge? How absurd. But nevertheless, I began to drop things down here, just in case. Because if a boy was really down here, he was alone, and that meant he couldn’t get things he might want.”

 

He nods to the various things he had given the boy over the years, food, piles of toys and other things he may want to need, jewelry, brushes, cloths. He had grown attached to a pair of gloves that had no fingers. Previously, he had sent down full pairs but when he grew upset, he ripped them. So he threw them back up the gully, irritated at himself. But one day a pair came down that had no fingers and Keith was overjoyed because he could wear them even when he was angry or upset.

 

Keith quietly becomes aware of all that this odd merman has done for him and relaxes slightly, but he is still on alert. The man notices this and beams, growing a little more excited.

 

“You see, I didn’t believe it, but I grew worried. Yes, I tried to help how I could without scaring you because from the description of the couple you were wild. But I knew that after all these years, maybe you’d be more willing to meet someone?” He holds his hands out, giving the boy a warm smile.

 

Keith doesn’t move, only arches an eyebrow at the man. He isn’t going to win him over that easily.

 

“My name is Coran.”

 

“Keith,” he barks it out, flustered and still a little more than confused.

 

“I have...food at my house?” He offers. Coran was growing nervous, worried the boy might reject his help and leave the gully entirely.

 

“...What kind of food?”

 

“Any food! I can cook, but it might not be the best. But it’s better than what you have down here.”

 

“Just...just a meal.”

 

“Gotta.”

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Just a meal, Keith thinks and he chuckles because that was five years ago and even though he doesn’t live in the house with Coran, he has a modest set up in the gully and can visit whenever he likes. Except for a few hours a day, he can show up at any time.

 

Coran has helped Keith ever since he found him and Keith holds a strong amount of affection for the merman. He smiles inwardly, but keeps his emotions in check. Even though Coran cares a lot for him, loves Keith even, Keith is scared of driving him away.

 

He knows he gets scary when he is emotional, and he tries his hardest to keep calm. He found out that one of the best ways to do this is to always have a sarcastic attitude and to hide his feelings.

 

Keith only shows a little bit of his emotions to Coran. He knows to anyone else, he would be forced to close himself off. But Keith shakes this off, rolling his eyes. He knows that it isn’t going to happen. There isn’t anyone else to meet. The sirens that Coran assists always stay in a guest home, away from Keith. He is alone, but content.

 

Yet the Galra hybrid is still reeling from shock. He saw someone earlier, someone else. That boy still fills his mind and he flushes, comforting himself with saying that he is just curious about him because he’s odd looking. He’s seen Sirens, and Mermaids, and even Galra. And none really look like him.

 

The boy had a bright blue tail with other shades of blue adorning the fins. Fins, plural. He had three different sets and Keith admired them because had had the same amount. The boy did have a fourth single fin that trailed along his tail. Briefly, just a split second, Keith wonders if the fin also trails up his back, quite was tan and awfully muscular and…

 

Keith knocks himself out of that train of thought and tries to remember again what he looked like. Even though he had a few different fins, they were all pointed and semi rigid, similar to a Siren’s. The word siren flashes into Keith’s head and he gasps. Siren. The boy had sung to him...or hummed...or. He had lifted himself up to try and look at Keith and sung to him to keep him from attacking.

 

He was curious about Keith, and Keith was certainly curious about the boy. He doesn’t know what he is, he’s not a Siren, or a Mermaid. Hybrid, Keith thinks, but feels almost certain that’s not it. He’s the only hybrid that he knows of, much less ever seen. He had heard of hybrids before, it’s how he came to terms with the fact that he was one, but he didn’t know if they were real, other than him.

 

Frustratingly, Coran refused to talk about it. He would talk all day long about what Keith is and the different ways that he came to be. That maybe this, or maybe that, and different scenarios. He loved Keith and Keith knew this, but he also knew that he was hiding something. If he asked about other hybrids, the conversation was over in an instant.

 

Now, Keith was determined to find out what was going on. He had seen another hybrid with his own two eyes and Coran couldn’t deny their existence any longer. The teen flips his tail and swims easily out of the gully, straight upwards. He notes proudly of how he couldn’t do that when he was younger, and sets off to his friend’s home.

 

He arrives a few moments later, and knocks on the door. It's late, he knows, very late, and Coran is likely to be grumpy with him. But he has to know, he can't live his whole life in exile because of what he is, just to never truly find out.

 

Nothing answers from inside the house and Keith knocks again, impatient. His ears flicker in different direction and he notes nothing is out of place. He's probably just asleep and he grumbles, swimming to one of his windows. He props it open and hoists himself in. Flipping his tail, he tries to get leverage but falls over, into the house, and smashes into a chair. His arm gets stuck in the back and he lets out a cry.

 

“Quite an entrance,” comes a voice, and Keith wearily raises his head. Coran is staring at him with speculative look on his face.

 

Keith flushes and wiggles his way out of the chair, grumbling. He tries to regain his composure, crossing his arms at his friend. He ignores the fact that he's the one breaking in and says,

 

“We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID YA LIKE? I LIKE. COMMENT, KUDO, ADVISE IS WELCOME


	4. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith has a talk with Coran and finds out a little more than he wanted to know, maybe he would have been better off finding out by himself. Lance finds out some things too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay....this chapter, to me, is pretty boring. BUT I HAVE TO BUILD UP I SWEAR, it'll get more interesting soon.

“Well, go on, what do you need to talk about? It’s apparently so important that you couldn't wait until I got to the door. And by the way...it's really late. I need sleep, ya know.” Coran is rubbing his eyes but his ears are pushed forward to Keith, he's obviously paying attention.

 

He flicks his tail and slides down against the wall to the living room, sitting on the floor. Coran is older than Keith by a good amount of years but from their 10 year bond, they're comfortable. Keith sits beside him and curls his tail in. Sighing, he drops his head into his hands.

 

“I saw someone today...someone different,” He starts and Coran instantly takes it the wrong way, wiggling his eyebrows and making nudging motions to Keith.

 

“Not like that,” he clarifies “I saw someone that you told me...didn't exist.” Keith's voice gets quieter and he shoots glances at Coran, worried he's going to get upset.

 

Coran’s face grows serious and he nods, his eyes narrowing in the slightest. Keith takes it as a movement for him to continue.

 

“You see. I saw a boy today, down in the deep. I didn't think much of it at first because hey, why would I? Mermaids and Sirens come through there a lot of the time and I just go along my business, I'm sure everyone knows I'm here anyway. But the thing is Coran,” His face flushes in the slightest as the picture of the boy appears in his head. “He was like me! Well, not like me. But he was. I'm a hybrid, you've told me that much, but you said there weren't any more of them. But he was! Coran he had lots of fins but he sung to-”

 

Coran cuts him off and Keith tenses up because Coran had been growing more and more rigid as he spoke. “He sung to you?” is what he asked and it certainly wasn't what Keith thought he was going to say.

 

“Sort of? No he didn't sing to me. He started to, for a split tick, and it just seemed like he wanted to come closer to look at me but it was like he thought better of it and stopped. That's when he swam away. But Coran! Do you know what this means?” 

 

Keith shows a beam of happiness, a smile growing on his face. He wasn't alone. He wasn't the only one! There were others like him. If that boy was one then there had to be others! He recites as such to Coran and is taken aback when the orange haired merman showed no interest, only growing upset.

 

“No Keith. He isn't like you.” He says, his jaw tense.

 

“But Cor-”

 

“No. He. Isn't. Like. You” He repeats, his normal happy exterior is gone and it's replaced with sadness and regret. It's written all over his face and Keith knows that he knows something, something big.

 

“Coran….” Keith starts, but he's cut off again.

 

“He's the prince.”

 

Keith stops, his blood running cold.

 

“...Oh.”

 

“Stay away from him, Keith. You could get hurt. He doesn't know what he is, not really. His family doesn't want him to know, Queen Allura and King Shiro have put a lot into keeping him dumb.”

 

“Oh.” Is all that Keith says.

 

______________________________________________________________

 

Keith is back home, in his little home. He's laying on the floor, even though it's into the next day. He's been there for a while, still reeling from his talk to Coran. He thought the man would be excited for him.

 

But instead he told him to stay away, to not interfere. He was different from the prince and the prince was different from him. He flicks his tail, staring at the soft glow it gives off. Different from him. The phrase runs through his mind and he shakes his head. Idiocy, he thinks. Different from him. Sure they are different hybrids, but they are hybrids all the same. He's just like him.

 

Keith is just like Lance. 

 

It becomes his mantra as he sets out to find more about himself.

 

______________________________________________________________

 

Lance is locked in his room. He doesn't know why, and he's frustrated.

 

“Mom!” He yells, but gets no response.

 

“Dad!” He calls, but no one came.

 

For hours, he quietly sits in his room. He stares at the ceiling, caught up in his own thoughts. No matter how hard he tries, the boy from the gorge just keeps coming back into his head. Lance thinks of him for a while, his peculiar tail filling his eyesight.

 

A hybrid. Lance knows the boy was one too. The only one he's ever seen other than himself. And it has to mean something, he just can't...be there. Something happened! And he has to find out what.

 

Lance makes a plan in his head, grinning to himself. The royal staff forgets he is part Siren because he never uses his abilities. He never finds a need for them so he deemed them unimportant and rarely sings.

 

His mother, Queen Allura, never sings either and so the staff typically forget her too. For other Sirens the singing of one has little effect, but to a mermaid, it's potent and can make them bend to their will. A Siren’s singing can make another person do almost anything, even forget what they did. So Lance decides that when someone comes swimming by, he's getting out of here.

 

A simple song, and whoever it is will release him. Simple as that. The main problem is someone actually passing by the door. No one has come by for vargas, but Lance isn't bothered. It's still early and he's sure someone will come by soon.

 

And sure enough about a varga later, Lance hears the movement of fins in water. He jumps up from his chair where he was playing with the two flowers that Pidge left behind the previous night. Even he had to admit that they were interesting and he was almost sure that he felt some sort of connection to both the blue flower and the red.

 

He swims quietly to his door and listens carefully. Perking his ears, he focuses and tries to decide if the person is a Mermaid or a Siren. It's crucial to his plan because if it's a Siren then his singing won't work, but if it's a Mermaid, then he's good to escape.

 

They are still a good way down the hallway but soon Lance is able to tell there are at least two sets of fins moving, so it's a Mermaid. He nods to himself and closes his fists by his sides, steeling his body. He has to be ready, this is make or break. If it works, he's home free, just has to get back into his room without anyone noticing and that's easy. But if he fails, then they will tell for sure and he'll be in big trouble.

 

Closer and closer they inch and Lance gets more and more excited. His heart races in his chest and he is giddy on adrenaline. Finally, he thinks they are in range. Quietly he begins to hum, his voice quiet, just enough to catch the attention of the mermaid approaching the door. After a moment he notices that the fins are no longer moving in the water, so he hums a little louder, hoping that they're beginning to come closer. Soon, the sound of their tail moving starts up again and he can tell they're beginning to move towards his door.

 

He starts to sing louder and louder until finally they're only a few feet away and he cuts off his single, beginning to talk. “I need you to let me out of here,” He says “I need you to let me out of here and don't tell anyone what you did. If someone asks you where I am, you're going to tell you that I am in my room. Okay?” 

 

Lance doesn't get a response and he's worried that he was wrong about them being a Mermaid. His nerves are on edge but he lets out a sigh of relief as they come close to the door and begin to open it.

 

He hums a little more, just to be safe, and watches the dazed Mermaid as he swims out of the hallway and shoots out of the castle. He doesn't breathe a sigh of relief until he can see the gorge from the previous day in his line of sight. 

 

The prince reaches where the plants are growing tall and grins, excitedly. But as he begins to think about what he did, he grows nervous. It was stupid to do that. And what if it doesn't work the whole way? And they go and tell his parents. They'll chop his tail off.

 

He's beginning to think that this was a bad idea, he doesn't even know this mystery person. Right as he is about to turn around to swim home, a light in the gorge catches his eye. It isn't shiny, the kind of lights that usually catch his eye, but is the light from the mystery boy’s tail.

 

Lance instantly flattens himself against the ground and inches forward to the edge of the gully, leaning his head over. His ears flicker and twitch, trying to lock onto the hybrid traveling through the score in the earth. His heart rattles in his chest and he's genuinely wondering if the other boy can hear him. 

 

The glow fades, he's swimming in the other direction. Lance waits until the glow is barely there before he darts down into the gully himself. Moving his tail and long, gentle strides, he takes care to not draw attention to himself.

 

He follows the mystery boy as close as he can without getting caught and has time to seriously look at the other boy. He's awfully pale, he notes, and Lance wonders if he ever goes to the surface. His tail, which seems to be glowing a little stronger each tick, is a lot nicer up close. The prince flushes, admiring the colors. He tells himself it's not like that and he tries to push the thoughts out of his head (Not today, gay thoughts). It just reminds him of koa fish. He's heard about them, they are fresh water fish and humans really like them.

 

Caught in his own thoughts, he doesn't notice the mystery boy slowing down. By the time he does, the boy is turning around and he has nowhere to hide. He shoots up, knowing the other boy is watching, and peers over at him from the top of the gorge.  
______________________________________________________________

 

“I see you up there” Are the first words that Keith says to Lance.

 

“I know” Are the first words Lance says to Keith.

 

“Why were you following me?” Keith urged his voice to be menacing but he couldn't bring himself to be more vicious than he is naturally.

 

“I…” Lance's face was flush and he sure hoped that Keith didn't have the vision of a Galra or all he would see was the bright blue face of Lance.

 

“I….thought you looked nice” is what Lance settles on, and he instantly regrets it.

 

Keith sputters and in his defense, he recovers fairly quickly. But he still turns red and turns around as if he's going to leave. Deep in the back of his head, he knows he isn't going to leave, but he has to not be looking at the prince who just happens to look very nice when he's all flustered.

 

Lance, however, believes him and shoots down the gorge, his eyes wide with panic. He just saw the boy, he couldn't let him go now! “Wait!” He shouts, reaching his hand out and planting it on the other boy’s shoulder.

 

Keith freaks out at the simple touch and in a flash he grabs Lance's arm and nearly breaks it, flipping them around and shoving him against the gorge wall, teeth bared and eyes flashing.

 

Lance's heart thunders in his chest and he's overwhelmed in a matter of moments. The mystery boy is angry, very angry and his eyes are glowing and he's very close to Lance he can even see little patches of orange littering his face and wow he is a lot prettier up close- and Lance knocks himself out of his thoughts, knowing he is blatantly staring at the other boy.

 

“I….uh…”

 

“You're sorry.” Keith's voice is curt.

 

“Yeah...yeah...I'm sorry.” Lance squeaks his words out, very aware of how Keith isn't moving away from him and he is still very close.

 

Keith tells himself to swim away, to leave. He shouldn't be talking to this boy, Coran told him all about him. He's part Siren, he could control him, he's charming and flirty and utterly clueless and he could get hurt if he gets close to the prince. But here is his, studying the other's face way too close. 

 

“So...what's your name?” Lance offers, trying to lighten the mood, considering that the mystery boy doesn't seem to be moving any time soon.

 

“Keith. My name is Keith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK  
> Kudos   
> Comment  
> Advice welcome!


	5. Keith VS Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I got distracted with other things, and I didn't have much time.
> 
> And yes, I know this is a very short chapter, but I had to cut it where I did, the next chapter is too different from this one to continue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry guys omg

“I see you up there!”

 

“I know!” Lance shoots down from the brush, his tail swishing in the water. He throws himself at Keith, wrapping his arms around his neck before letting go and swimming laps around the other merman.

 

Keith and Lance had been growing closer and closer the past month. Lance came to visit every afternoon, swearing Pidge to secrecy and telling his mother and father that he was going over to their house in the village every day. It wasn't hard, as long as they didn't tell Hunk. He couldn't keep a secret for anything, so they just lied to him too. Pidge and Lance felt awful but he couldn't tell his parents, not after that night when he was locked in his room.

 

It wasn't that hard to get back into his room, though he was jittery from his confrontation with Keith. They stayed against the wall for hours, talking and getting to know each other. They didn't ask many questions, fearful for information they didn't truly want to know. When Lance came back, it only took a little hum in the right direction for someone to let him into his room and lock it back as if he never left.

 

As long as his parents know, he never left at all. Lance came back the next day and struck up a conversation with the other hybrid, nearly getting hit in the process because he snuck up on him. And that's been their pattern the last week, though thankfully Lance was released from his locked room sentence. He still doesn't know what that was all about, but no one will tell him anything so he doesn't think it's smart to push it.

 

Keith notices Lance floundering in his own thoughts and nudges an elbow at him, his eyebrow raised as he looks at the other boy.

 

“Is your brain fried? Were you trying to think again? Come on Lance we talked about this,” Keith says it in a light tone, trying to cheer him up. Lance continues to stare above him, swimming alongside Keith on his back. He frowns a little before casting his eyes to his friend.

 

They search Keith's face and he stares back, startles at the sudden change in atmosphere. Lance opens his mouth as if to speak but closes it hard, a small clacking sound as his teeth roughly come together. Whatever mood had set on the prince like a dark cloud was gone in an instant, replaced by his usual cocky grin. He pushes at Keith's shoulders roughly, trying to get him to chase him.

 

“Come on Galra Boy!” He hollers, taking off in the direction of Keith’s home. He weaves his tail between rocks and into nooks and crannies to hide as Keith approaches. Keith takes up the chase willingly, but he still wonders about Lance. The look on his face was startling, chilling even. He knows the boy likes to joke around but sometimes he wonders if Lance keeps up a facade. 

 

Caught up in his own thoughts, Keith doesn't notice Lance creeping up from his side, a predatory look on his face. With a thud, the prince knocks Keith flat onto his back, his face appearing with a sloppy grin.

 

“I got you,” he says in a sing song voice, staring down at Keith. He looks startled and Lance notes that his face was turning red.

 

“Aw, Galra boy, did I fluster you?” he teases “Oh trust me, I can do more than that to get you all red.” With his last word he shoots off once more, closing the few hundred yards to Keith's house.

 

He didn't see it because he was already gone but Keith was just getting up, his face bright red with tinges of orange. He puts his hand over his heart as if he's in pain and feels it thundering in his chest. With a composing breath, he swims towards his house.

 

Lance is peeking out of the curtains and grins at Keith as he approaches. He slams them closed and presses his back against the door to keep Keith out. Yet with an oof, he falls forward and crashed onto the ground. Keith comes into his home and looks at Lance on the floor with a crooked smile on his face. 

“You call me Galra Boy, but you seem to forget about the actual, ya know, Galra part.” He says it with amusement in his voice, and he reaches down to help Lance up. Instead, he yanks him down beside him and lets out an evil laugh, getting up and darting over to the back of his table. Keith gets up and no swears vengeance, coming after him.

 

They go in circles after each other until finally Keith launches himself across the table at Lance, tackling him to the ground. He hovers above him with a wide grin on his face and the prince looks back up at him, his smile splayed and his cheeks blue. He laughs lightly and before Keith can stop himself he presses his lips against the other boy’s. Lance smiles into the kiss and pushes back gently, his eyes fluttering closed.

 

Keith pulls away after a moment and lays beside Lance, pushing his head into his hands. Still, he laughs to himself. 

 

“Coran never told me you would be like this.” Then his hand slaps over his mouth.

 

Lance freezes, and his face goes slack. His ears flatten until they are parallel to the ground and he slowly casts his eyes in Keith’s direction.

 

“You..know Coran?” he asks. Keith stares back in shock, shaking his head side to side. 

 

“You knew who I was. What I was.” Lance’s voice comes out in hisses and he gets up, slowly backing away from the boy that mended his heart just to break it again.

 

“You knew who I was before I even did! What was this? A joke!” Tears well up in Lance’s eyes and he hugs himself, feeling betrayed. Keith reaches his hand out to the other boy, tears streaking down his own face, but Lance rips his hand away. 

 

“Is that what this was! A joke! So you could run back to your buddies and say HEY I GOT THE PRINCE AROUND MY FINGER!?” Lance’s voice rises and Keith shrinks away. “I found OUT WHAT SORT OF FREAK THE PRINCE WAS, RIGHT?” 

 

Lance’s face grows colder and colder by the moment and he heads to the door, his teeth bared and jaw clenched.

 

“My parents always told me not to trust the Galra. They are all brutes. Even you.” Lance chokes his last words out through tears and he streaks away through the water, shooting off to his home. He leaves Keith on the floor, crying and angry. Lance’s final words run over and over through Keith’s head and he only cries harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY GUYS


	6. Lance Vs Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m SO SORRY FOR TALKING OH SO LONG. I LOST INTEREST FOR A WHILE AND I WAS TIRED AND THEN SCHOOL STARTED but i might finally be getting a job, and i’m READY FOR IT ALLLLLLL

Lance slams the door to his room and slides down against it until he is resting on the floor. He wraps his arms around his tail and closes his eyes, letting his head fall against the door. He's shaking, and he's still crying, feeling stupid. Getting caught up in a stupid hybrid? He should have known that something would go wrong. 

Keith is still lying on the floor, flat and splayed out. He stares at the ceiling blankly, his eyes dry and puffy from crying. At first he was confused at why Lance was angry. It was just a mutual friend. But he must have put it together. Keith was told all about Lance, more than Lance had told him, and the prince knew. It didn't seem like much, knowing without telling Lance. But it means more than that.

At the same time, Keith remembers what he was told, and what Lance experienced.

______________________________________________________________

Lance is six years old, his cheeks are still chubby, his tail is sort of stubby, and his eyes are bright all of the time. He follows his parents around all of the time and sneaks their crowns and jewelry to wear as he swims around the castle.

But today is the day! It's his first day at school! He's entering the first year of his future, and best, no one will know who he is. Lance dresses in normal clothes, and he bounces up and down as he swims down the road. His father, Shiro, tried to walk him to school but he shooed him away, saying he didn't want anyone to know. Shiro tolerated it because he could still see him and Lance set off.

His first day was great! He even made a few new friends, Lotor and Rax. They were really nice, but they seemed oddly interested in his home life.

Weeks went by, and he made more friends, each very very friendly and always doing things for him. Lotor and Rax seemed to be getting pushy about meeting his family, and Lance decided it was alright to tell them.

After school, he asked them to stay behind for a minute and he was so excited. He could finally tell some people, he wouldn't have to hide anything from them! They could come over and meet his parents, they could have sleepovers.

But instead of a surprised, excited response, they just said “We know.” Lance was a little shocked but was happy nonetheless. He thought this was the perfect chance to invite them over and he did, of course they said yes.

He was a little startled by how things went down but was so excited about his first sleepover. He had set up his room and everything. But he never got that far.

When Lotor and Rax came over, they kept asking him for things. Vases, tables, silverware, anything that looked valuable. Lance was confused and tried to explain he couldn't give them that stuff, it wasn’t his to give. They passed the vault on the way to Lance's room and they demanded he let them in.

Lance was confused.

“I..I can't do that guys. I don't even know how. But...we could go to my room?” His voice was getting sort of meek. 

Lotor whipped around, his young face twisted into a cruel smirk far too mature for his life lived so far. 

“Don't you get it?”

“N-no…?”

“That's all we are here for,” Rax pipes up, a similar expression on his face.

“We are here for money. And food. And whatever we can get.”

“But I thought you guys came over so we could have a sleepover?” Lance doesn't really get it.

“Why would we have a sleepover with you?”

“Everyone knows you're the hybrid freak.”

“You're too weird. You don't deserve to be prince.”

“You should have just been one or the other.”

“And I mean, look at that tail of yours...you can tell you're a halfbreed mutt.”

Lance's eyes well with tears and he wipes them away angrily with the back of his hand, his small face red with embarrassment. He sniffs and backs away, but Lotor and Rax follow him.

“We went to your little mermaid freak friend, the orange one? He told us all about you. He thinks you are so great. How is that! You're so weird”

Lotor pokes in his face and Lance's back thuds against the wall. He shields himself with his arms but the words keep coming.

“Halfbreed”

“Mutt”

“Who would ever be friends with a freak like you”

“You tried keeping a secret but everyone knows who you are”

“How could you be that stupid? You swim into a room and everyone knows who you are”

Once they seem satisfied, Lotor backs up.

“You know, it was hard being friends with you, knowing all of that disgusting information about you. Because you being a halfbreed isn't even the worst of it! And you don't even know!”

He lets out a cruel laugh and backs away from Lance, his face split into a wide grin.

Lotor and Rax swim off with their arms full of Lance's things and Allura finds him curled against the wall a varga later.

______________________________________________________________

Keith sighs, rubbing the back of his head. He's sitting up. That's the end of the story as he was told. But there's more to it than that. When Coran said that the little demon brat said that being a halfbreed isn't even the worst part, Keith had gotten angry and demanded to know what he meant.

Coran wouldn't tell him, not at first, but all it took was a little guilt trip about how Keith's life had been so far, Coran just had to tell him.

There was a prophecy, long ago, regarding the three races of mer creatures. The only way the three could be connected, was through the marriage of one of their own. No one understood at first, because were they supposed to marry three people?

Years passed on, and all was revealed when Keith and Lance were born. On the same day, at the same time. The moon shone down straight to the bottom of the ocean and two beams shone on the newborn children. In the bright light, it was revealed. 

Lance was a mixed creature and so was Keith. They shared the kindness of mermaids but Lance held speed and agility and Keith held strength and endurance. Mermaids, Sirens, and the Galra combined.

Shiro and Allura welcomed their child into the world and tried to reach out to Keith's father, Zarkon, but he refused to answer. This was an abomination. His son was a disgusting mix breed, a Mermaid-Galra hybrid born to the mighty genes of the Galra. At least Lance's traits matched his parents, and Zarkon pointed that out with a hiss.

But worse than that, they were two boys to be wed. As far as Zarkon was concerned, Keith wasn't worthy to be prince, to be a part of the prophecy, much less to be his son. So he raised him until he could survive on his own and threw him into the gully where he now resides.

Prince, his own mind mocks him. Like he's some prince, even after all of these years trapped here. Keith knocks it out of his head and sighs, knowing that he messed up. Honesty is one of the biggest traits that matters to Lance and Keith knows that he should have told Lance he knew who he was. Betrayal can be simply knowing, not just acting on it. Lance isn't stupid, he's reckless and goofy, but not stupid and not uncaring.

Keith sighs, and he slowly gets up, staring at the moonlight filtering through his window. He sits down at his table and rests his head in his hand, puffing out his gills. He stares, wondering what to do.

“I have to go see him” The boy slams his hands down on the table and shoots out of his house, out of the gully, and straight towards the castle. He was going to make this right.


End file.
